Looks like my Z had a little bit of a bent frame rail

[er34gtt2000jp]

Well I am still in that oh so happy I just bought a 240Z, stand in the garage and stare at it stage but I think I have a little problem.

The car had been hit in the passengers front fender and it bent up the inner fender a bit in the front. I thought that was all it did but after pulling off the fender and assessing the situation it looks like the frame got bent a bit.

What do you guys think? Aside from the rust it looks like the frame is kinked right above the TC rod mount. The drivers side is straight as an arrow but this side has a noticeable kink.

I am planning to take the car to a media blasters and have it stripped, do you think I should have take it to the body shop first and have it but on the frame rack? I don't want to fix the rust in the frame rail and then take it to the body shop as I think the repair work would get messed up by pulling the frame back into place.

[xray]

Just an observation....

That rusted section will have to be cut out and rewelded, and you probably will have the better advantage of a more complete assessment after you have it blasted. I would wager that the rust in the frame rail may have weakened the TC bucket strength, and it may cause more damage if someone just throws it on the frame rack without an idea of how careful to be with it...maybe...

I think after having it stripped you should take it to a body shop. I think an experienceed bodyman could properly assess what the next step is, and may in fact be able to do both (weld and straighten) concurrently in order to get the best result.

$0.01,

Steve

Good luck!

[montoya_fan01]

The picture shows the area is rusting from the inside out in addition to the rail being bent. Its quite possible (maybe even probable) that the car is going to need a new frame rail and TC pocket. In cases like this, what you see from the outside is usually just the tip of the iceberg.

If it was my car, I think that I'd have a competent bodyman examine it and advise you as to what needs to be done, how much it will cost, and in what order it should be done.